Brookdale’s Cross Country Team Finished 9th In The Nation

The A8体育直播 men’s cross country team finished their season 9th in the nation. Standout freshman 西奥多Purdon finished 7th in the nation at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Championship meet held at the 乔治亚州 Military College in Milledgeville, 乔治亚州. 

“I could not have asked for a better season. Everyone stayed committed, and a nice group of competitive runners,图尔西说. “The highlight of the season and the icing on the cake was going to nationals.”  

Brookdale qualified for nationals after winning their first regional championship in 39 years. 迈克尔·图尔西教练, who was honored as NJCAA Region XIX “Coach of the Year” and Assistant 丹尼斯·弗林教练, coached cross country at Mater Dei High School before coming to Brookdale three years ago. The first year they put a call out for runners. 在越野比赛中, you need five teammates to cross the finish line to score in cross country,图尔西说. 那年他们有五个孩子. The second year, they had eleven runners, but that year was during COVID with limited meets. So, this year, there were ten men and one woman on the team. Only the top seven on the team can qualify for nationals.  So, Brookdale brought seven men and one woman.  

“a8体育是一流的. 他们让a8体育飞下来, 酒店很不错, the banquet on the military campus was great, and Assistant Director Trish Taylor made the trip also,图尔西说. “After 33 years of coaching, that was one of the best experiences I ever had.” 

在全国锦标赛上, the top-15 runners received All-American status for outstanding performances. 西奥多Purdon, Little Silver, NJ, placing seventh overall in a time of 27:04 to earn All-American status. Purdon is the first Brookdale cross country All-American since Alex Fallon earned the honor in 2017. Earlier this season, Purdon collected NJCAA All-Region honors, and the first runner from Brookdale to receive NJCAA三区 本周全国最佳运动员. 

Purdon was followed across the line by freshman 迈克尔普佐, Belford, NJ, who placed 41st and ran a personal record of 28:48. 大一新生 约书亚西巴, Tinton Falls, NJ, who placed 59th in a time of 29:35, was only two seconds off his record. 二年级的队长 威廉·布罗德赫斯特, Leonardo, NJ, ran his best 比赛 of the season as he placed 70th overall in a time of 29:54. 大一新生 康纳斯考特, Keansburg, NJ, placed 77th and ran a 30:25; his second-best time ever. 二年级的队长, 马克西姆波波夫, Manalapan, NJ, who graduated from Colts Neck High School, placed 80th with a new personal record of 30:38. Rounding out the scoring was freshman 约书亚啤酒, Oceanport, NJ, who placed 89th and ended the season with a proud personal record of 31:07. 

Competing in the women’s cross country 比赛, freshman 克里斯汀戴利 from Middletown qualified for nationals and completed her 5K by placing 84th in a time of 28:33, ending her season with one of her best times.

In addition to the team finishing in the top ten in the nation, they are the Region XIX Division III Men’s Team Champions, Garden State Athletic 会议 (GSAC) Division III Men’s Team Champions. Individual Men’s All-GSAC honors are #1 泰迪Purdon, #5 迈克普佐, #6 杰克西巴和#7 康纳斯考特. 

“I truly appreciate and respect the sport of cross country. The mindset and physical preparation are humbling, especially when you are running with student-athletes from all over the country,泰勒说. “I enjoyed the bonding experiences with the student-athletes and coaches, 如此特殊的一群人.” 

Top Photo: Back row left to right: 迈克尔·图尔西教练, 马克斯·波波夫, 迈克普佐, 泰迪Purdon, 杰克西巴, 利亚姆布罗德赫斯特, 丹尼斯·弗林教练. Front row left to right: Josh Beer, 康纳斯考特, Kristen Daly.